Sighting device for archer&#39;s bow



June 9, 19 64 H. A. STEBBINS SIGHTING DEVICE FOR ARCHERS BOW Filed Aug. 13, 1962 mmvron. Herve A. Stebbms BY aw #77141 United States Patent 3,136,063 SIGHTING DEVICE FOR ARCHERS BOW Herve A. Stebbins, 400 Cooley St., Springfield, Mass. F lied Aug. 13, 1962, Ser. No. 216,607 Claims. (Cl. 3346) This invention relates to sighting devices for an archers bow and 111 particular to a multiple sight for aiming arrows at objects located at various distances from the shooter. In combination with this type of sight a unique bow and arrow rest construction is also provided for improved accuracy in shooting.

An object of the invention is to provide a sight construction which can be adjusted to suit a shooters individual preferences as to the distances at which he desires to have a plurality of sight available. It is well known in the art that the shooting characteristics of a bow, involving the amount of force needed to bend the bow, the rate at which the force is applied, the forces released when the bow string is released, and many other varied factors are exteremly important in archery and determine the action of each different bow in an individual shooters hand. While I am aware that there are many sighting devices heretofore proposed and in use the prior constructions known to me generally provide a single sight which may be adjusted to one desired target distance within the range of the bow. In some instances multiple sights have been designed. The adjustment of one of such latter sights to a desired range, however, results in fixing the position of each of the other sights relative to the first. In the present invention each of a plurality of sights may be individually adjusted according to the archers preference as to various target distances within the range of the bow. Any combination of sighting distances may be arranged for hunting or target shooting.

- With the device of the present invention the individual characteristics of the bow as well as the individual habits of the archer who uses the bow will not affect the accuracy of all sights since each of the plurality of sighting cross-hairs may be individually set for the selected target distances. In other words where the shooting habits of one archer might dictate adjustment of a sight to one position for a given target, for example, at 40 feet, another sight position might be suitable for a second archer. With the present construction each and every sight may be individually set to a position correct for the archer who is to use the bow. i

The invention is characterized by provision for a vertical cross-hair wire which may be adjusted laterally for vertically'lining up a target and a plurality of horizontally disposed cross-hair Wires each for obtaining the correct axial elevation of an arrow shaft for sighting at a given target distance. Each horizontal cross wire may be individually set at any one of a number of positions so as to provide a variety of selected target distances, any one or all of which may be re-adjusted as desired by the archer.

In the present disclosure a bow construction is also shown with a central opening for propelling the arrow therethrough together with an arrow rest and the sighting device. The sighting device is, however, adaptable for use with practically any bow construction and a modified form is also herein illustrated as suitable fora bow having an open-sided notch or window above the arrow FIG. 3 is a pictorial view of the sighting device on an enlarged scale to show details thereof;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 1 of a modified form of the multiple sight and a conventional bow section having a notched window for shooting the arrow; and

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary view showing a detail of the form of FIG. 4. 1

As seen by FIG. 1 the central section of the bow is indicated by the numeral 1, a hand grip portion at 2, and above portion 2 a thickened portion 3 in which a vertically elongated opening 4 is cut through from the rear to the front of the bow. 1 i

The opening 4 is wider in the lower portion through which the arrow is propelled so as to provide clearance for conventional feathering (not shown) at the rear of a shaft. At its lower end the opening has a narrow vertical slot 5 in which one ofthe feathers may pass without deflection. The design is adapted for an arrow with three feathers as will be readily appreciated by those familiar in this art. At the top of the slot 5 opposite edges as at 6 are cupped and outwardly divergent so as to accommodate and center arrows of various shaft diameters, a shaft being indicated at 7.

The side walls of the opening 4 converge upwardly to provide a vertically elongated sighting window portion 8 across which extend the cross-hair wires of the multiple sighting device.

The sighting device best seen by FIGS. 1 and 3 is in the form of a flat plate 10 having a rectangular opening 12 therein spanning the upper sighting portion 8 of the opening. The plate 10 has horizontally slotted mounting holes 14 at each corner and is affixed to the front face of the portion 3 by screws 16. Suitably fixed centrally at the top and bottom edges of the plate opening 12 as in mounting holes is a vertically disposed cross-hair Wire 18. Extending across the opening and bridging it are a plurality of cross-hair wires 20 which may be adjustably fixed for any desirable vertical elevation.

The means for removably positioning wires 20 at selected elevations is preferably a series of closely spaced vertically arranged grooves .and ridges 22 cut in the lateral sides of the plate 10 and the holding straps 24 overlying the grooves. The straps hold the ends of the wires and are mounted in the clamping position by the screws 26. Preferably the ends of the wires are turned over the edges of the plates for easier handling. The grooves at each side of the opening are horizontally aligned with the grooves of the opposite side and are perpendicular to the vertical cross wire 18. I

' r In the form of the invention seen in FIG. 4 the bow 29 A is notched in the central section to provide an open sided window indicated at 30. A hand grip portion is at 31 and the arrow-rest is located at the bottom of the notch as at 32. The multiple sight device in this form is provided by a plate 34 having top and bottom horizontal mounting slots 36 with fastening screws 38. An offset portion 40 extends into the upper portion of the notch 30 above the arrow rest 32 and has a sighting field opening 42. The fixed web 44 and upper opening at is at an elevation for sighting any target at extremely close range as fifteen feet or less for example.

The sight plate of FIG. 4 is provided with a single holding strap 48 overlying a series of grooves 50 at the left side of the opening 42. At the outer right hand side p of the opening a matching series of grooves 52 is located but is not provided with a strap. 'In this form the-ends of the horizontal cross wires 54 are reversely turned and wrap around the edge of the plate as best seen by FIG. 5. In this way the need for a holding strap is eliminated at that side. As with the device of FIG. 1 the modified form provides for the individual adjustment of the elevation of each of the wires 54.

The vertical wire 56 may be mounted in the plate 30 opening in similar fashion to the mounting of wire 18 in FIG. 3. In each instance lateral adjustment of the vertical wires can be accomplished by shifting the entire plate 10 or plate 30 sidewise on the mounting screws 16 or screws 38 and tightening these screws when the correct position is obtained.

In the FIG. 1 form the vertical wire 18 is lined up to lie in the vertical plane of the axis of an arrow shaft positioned on the surfaces 6 of the arrow rest. This may be done initially for anyone shooting the bow constructed as shown by FIG. 1 since the axis of any shaft will lie in the same plane. In the modified form of FIG. 4 the vertical wire 56 may be placed in position to lie in the vertical plane of the axis of any given. shaft by shifting the plate 30 on the screws 38. It will be realized that such adjustment will be necessary when changing from arrows of one shaft diameter to another.

It will be appreciated that the sight may be adapted for either right or left hand shooters. In the FIG. 1 form of how the arrow will always be centered regardless of shaft diameter and by reason of the lower slot for the lower feather greater accuracy will be obtained. Also with the lower slot as shown plastic feathering may be used without the danger of cutting the archers hand. Having thus described this invention what is claimed 1. A multiple sight for an archers bow comprising a plate member having a vertically disposed opening therein for mounting above the arrow rest position of the bow,

the lateral sides of said member bordering the opening each having a closely spaced series of vertically arranged horizontal ridges and grooves aligned with the series at the other side of the opening,

a plurality of vertically spaced cross-hair wires lo cated in selected aligned grooves and extending across said opening,

a vertical cross-hair wire carried by said member and crossing said first wires,

and removable holding means overlying each series of ridges and grooves to releasably engage said first wires in said selected aligned grooves.

2. A multiple sight device for an archers bow comprising a flat plate having a vertically elongated opening therein and at each lateral edge of said opening a series of closely spaced vertically arranged grooves, the grooves of one side being horizontally aligned with the grooves of the other side,

a removably mounted holding strap overlying at least one of said series of grooves,

and a plurality of vertically spaced cross-hair wires positioned in individually aligned horizontal grooves and releasably held by said strap,

a vertical cross-hair wire on said plate extending centrally of said opening from the top to the bottom thereof,

and mounting means for fixing said plate to a bow, said plate being laterally shiftable to align said vertical cross-hair wire in the vertical axial plane of an arrow positioned for shooting with the bow.

3. A multiple sighting device as in claim 2 in which each of said series of vertically arranged grooves at the edge of said opening is provided with a holding strap and said plate mounting means includes horiznotally ex tending slots in said plate for laterally shifting said sight device.

4. A multiple sighting device as in claim 2 in which said plate has a laterally olfset portion and said opening is located in said offset portion to overhang an arrow rest position of a bow, and

said plurality of horizontal cross-hair wires engaging the grooves at the outer side of said opening are reversely turned to embrace the plate edge,

said holding strap clamping the opposite ends of said wires in the opposing grooves to releasably position the wires.

5. In an archers bow multiple sighting means in combination with an arrow rest comprising a vertically elongated opening centrally of the bow above the hand grip portion thereof,

the lower end of said opening having a narrow vertical slot for passage of an arrow feather and at the top of said slot having outwardly diverging surface to accommodate arrows of various shaft diameters,

said sighting means having a vertically arranged series of closely spaced grooves at each lateral side of said opening, each groove of a series being horizontally aligned with a groove of the opposite series,

a plurality of vertically spaced cross-hair wires in aligned pairs of grooves,

a holding strap overlying and clamping said wires in said grooves,

and a vertical cross-hair wire perpendicular to said first wires on the vertical axial plane of an arrow placed on said rest,

said holding strap being detachable to free said horizontal cross-hair wires for the positioning thereof at various sighting elevations at the option of the shooter.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

1. A MULTIPLE SIGHT FOR AN ARCHER''S BOW COMPRISING A PLATE MEMBER HAVING A VERTICALLY DISPOSED OPENING THEREIN FOR MOUNTING ABOVE THE ARROW REST POSITION OF THE BOW, THE LATERAL SIDES OF SAID MEMBER BORDERING THE OPENING EACH HAVING A CLOSELY SPACED SERIES OF VERTICALLY ARRANGED HORIZONTAL RIDGES AND GROOVES ALIGNED WITH THE SERIES AT THE OTHER SIDE OF THE OPENING, A PLURALITY OF VERTICALLY SPACED CROSS-HAIR WIRES LOCATED IN SELECTED ALIGNED GROOVES AND EXTENDING ACROSS SAID OPENING, A VERTICAL CROSS-HAIR WIRE CARRIED BY SAID MEMBER AND CROSSING SAID FIRST WIRES, AND REMOVABLE HOLDING MEANS OVERLYING EACH SERIES OF RIDGES AND GROOVES TO RELEASABLY ENGAGE SAID FIRST WIRES IN SAID SELECTED ALIGNED GROOVES. 